Mongolian parliament votes to oust prime minister

REUTERS

ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) – Mongolia’s parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat, its website said late on Thursday, after his ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) was defeated in a July presidential election.
No Mongolian prime minister has completed a four-year term since 2004.
“The parliament resolution on the resigning of the government has been approved,” the official website said.
Of 73 members of parliament attending the vote, 42 were in favour of Erdenebat’s removal.
In a statement on the website, the outgoing prime minister noted that the country had seen 13 governments in the last 25 years.
“The resignation of a government in a democratic parliament is a normal occurrence, but it can be harmful if a good thing goes beyond its norms,” Erdenebat said.
“I believe that dismissing government is a mistake that hinders the development of the country, rather than a positive mechanism of accountability,” he said.
Last month, some 30 members of the parliament, or State Ikh Khural, signed a petition calling for Erdenebat’s resignation in the aftermath of the presidential vote, which was won by populist former martial arts star and businessman Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party.